Thrall of the Vampire King (Blood Fire Saga Book 4) by Bella Klaus (elon musk reading list .txt) 📕

sat on his haunches and raised his front paws, looking like he was praying for more food. I sent the cat a silent word of thanks for his excellent acting skills.

“How did you get it through the wards?” the man asked.

“General Sargon gave him to me as a pet.” I pulled myself to my feet and met his glower. Did he and his friends only come to question me about Macavity, or was this interrogation going to lead to something else?

He bared his teeth. “A pet getting a pet of her own?”

My muscles stiffened, but a shot of adrenaline surged through my system, making me ready for a fight. Everyone seemed extra hostile today, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Valentine’s public display at the brunch briefing made them think I was just his blood cow.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Nigel,” he said with a leer.

I offered him a cold smile. “When you mock Our Lord’s second-in-command, you also deride Our Lord’s ability to choose his general. Are you questioning his decisions, Brother Nigel?”

He flinched. “Of course not.”

“Then kindly leave me alone and let me play with my cat.”

Brother Nigel glanced at the man standing on his left, who stepped forward. My lips tightened. What the hell was wrong with these men? Was this their petty revenge for how I’d confronted them the day they’d been encouraging Brother David to eat those ashes?

“Come with us,” he said. “You’re wanted.”

“What for?” I folded my arms across my chest.

“Are you questioning Our Lord?” he said, mimicking how I had asked his friend the same question.

I clenched my fists, my insides welling with frustration. This was classic bully behavior. They never came at you by themselves, and always needed back up. When one idiot faltered, another was ready to take his place. I exhaled my annoyance in a long breath.

“If you’d tell me what’s happening, maybe I wouldn’t need to ask you so many questions,” I said.

Brother Nigel raised his chin, seeming to have regained his ability to speak. “Lord Kresnik says you are to attend a ritual tonight. Will you come with us now?”

Every ounce of blood trickled from my face and into my plummeting stomach, leaving me lightheaded. This would probably be another attempt to extract my magic while Valentine was away on his mission. I smoothed down my cloak, trying not to seem like I was on the verge of fainting.

Palpitations squeezed my heart. I couldn’t leave this spot when we were so close to freeing Hades. Pulling back my shoulders and raising my chin, I tried to inject a bit of confidence into my words. “Tell me which ritual room, and I’ll go there myself after feeding the cat.”

“I’ll get rid of it for you.” Brother Nigel glared down at Macavity and stamped his foot. “Bugger off before I skin your hide.”

Macavity darted into the depths of the fennel plant, making the men snicker. I clenched my teeth, wanting to lash out with my nails.

“Right then.” Brother Nigel wrapped a meaty hand around my arm. “Let’s go—”

A low, guttural growl sounded from behind us that made my skin prickle into goosebumps. As it increased in volume, all the fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and my insides trembled.

I turned my head to find the entire fennel plant shaking. Something massive was in the bushes, and it was about to attack.

“What the hell is that?” asked Brother Nigel.

“Release my arm and it might go away,” I said.

The man shoved me aside and backed into his companions, who stared at the quaking plant with slack faces. All three men huddled together and covered their hands with fire.

I took several steps back, just in case a fight broke out, and hoped they wouldn’t be stupid enough to try to set the plant alight. Macavity probably still remembered his painful encounter with Jonathan and wouldn’t give these fire users the benefit of the doubt. Macavity made a rumbling motorcycle sound, accompanied by a few hisses.

“Don’t go in there,” I said.

They ignored me and continued toward the plant. Brother Nigel stuck his fiery hands into the dense foliage, parting it to reveal the green eyes of a giant leopard.

“What?” the man yelled, flaring his fire.

With a roar that made my eardrums tremble, Macavity lurched forward and struck out with a massive paw.

Blood spurted from Brother Nigel’s neck. He staggered backward, trying to stem the flow with both hands, but the dark liquid spilled through his fingers and seeped down the front of his donkey jacket.

The other two turned to run, but Macavity sprang out from the fennel plant, jostling Brother Nigel aside, and knocked the two men to the ground with his massive bulk.

I clapped my hands over my mouth and turned my head as the leopard savaged the two men.

“Miss Griffin,” Hades hissed. “The jar!”

I turned my gaze back to the fennel plant, where something glasslike protruded from within its dense leaves. I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone was rushing to the men’s rescue, but found nobody else on this side of the grounds.

Just in case someone was watching through the window of Kenwood House, I backed toward the fennel plant, acting like I was cowering away from the leopard.

In the corner of my eye Macavity slammed his massive paw onto the back of one of the men who was trying to crawl away.

Uncertainty wrapped around my neck like a noose, and I froze on the spot, my mouth opening and closing. I needed to tell Macavity to stop, but if one of them survived to say he’d found me loitering around the fennel plant, Kresnik would guess our plans and seize Hades’ ashes. The Demon King might never get the chance to break free.

My chest tightened and I gulped mouthful after mouthful of air. I had to let Macavity finish, so there would be no witnesses.

Every limb in my body shook as I reached for the fourth set of ashes. The leopard’s snarls and